Closing City Clerk’s office at lunchtime

Last week I wrote about the Lawrence City Clerk’s office closing for lunch every day due to the recent lay offs and it produced a 20-minute heated exchange in our radio show, CrossOver.

City Clerk Bill Maloney stated to me that since he lost three employees to the lay offs of December 18th, he has had no choice but close the office for one hour.  Scheduling staggered hours might not always work depending on how many people would be available for work on a given day.

But, his solution didn’t sit right with many who believe that lunchtime is the most convenient time for working adults to run errands, including going to City Hall.

Councilor at-Large Roger Twomey called the show to explain that he had just met with the mayor regarding a similar concern.  When the City Council secretary goes to lunch, the office is closed and the public has no access to services.

Mr. Twomey spoke about the importance of cross training employees to make sure that all departments at city hall are fully operational during normal work hours when a taxpayer needs to access information or services.